The Champions League is Chelsea’s white whale. They want it. They want it badly. However, their title credentials took a knock in the Netherlands, a 1-1 draw against Twente far from the ideal start to a tournament they long to dominate.

Despite their dominance in possession it was the home team that took the lead, through captain Danique van Ginkel, before Sandy Baltimore converted from the spot for the equaliser.

Every piece of silverware is valuable, but for the team that has repeatedly won it all domestically, the desire for the final piece of their trophy puzzle is strong. It eluded them during Emma Hayes’ tenure, defeat to Barcelona in the 2020-21 final the closest they came. Three back-to-back semi-final defeats to Barcelona, including losing 8-2 on aggregate to the Catalan giants last season, have stung each and every time.

Sonia Bompastor flexed the muscles of her squad for the trip to Enschede, with only four of the team that started their 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Friday night on the pitch, but it proved costly as they started their Champions League campaign in a new era of the competition...